Channel Seven Pushes For Afternoon Timeslot For Good Friday Football In 2015

Good Friday football in '15 would be played in the afternoon if Channel Seven had its way, but the Australian Football League has suggested that "it might be preferable at night," according to Jake Niall of THE AGE. AFL CEO Andrew Demetriou also said there was ''no frontrunner'' for the likely Good Friday game next year, as a number of clubs lobby to play in what is seen as a "potential blockbuster slot." Demetriou did confirm that Channel Seven -- which had a long-term tradition of broadcasting the Royal Children's Hospital Appeal -- "wanted an afternoon game to fit in with that commitment." Demetriou: ''Channel Seven's view is that they would like to play this game in the afternoon, and not at night, and that's not a view that is shared by a lot of people. A lot of people think it should be played at night" (THE AGE, 4/17). In Melbourne, Daniel Cherny wrote "the AFL must resist the temptation to simply replace an existing blockbuster on Good Friday," and should instead utilize the opportunity to schedule financially weaker clubs as a method of equalization. That is the view of Western Bulldogs President Peter Gordon, "who hit back on Thursday morning over speculation that powerful Essendon would be part of an inaugural Good Friday game next year" (THE AGE, 4/17).